Aviation integrated optics and lighting unit

ABSTRACT

An aviation integrated optics and lighting unit for securing to a light receptacle of an aircraft. The aviation integrated optics and lighting unit comprises a housing, a light-emitting device, and an optical sensor. The light-emitting device is secured to the housing. The optical sensor is positioned in the housing and is configured to capture optical data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional patent application claims priority benefit, withregard to all common subject matter, of commonly assigned U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/958,795, filed Jan. 9, 2020,and entitled “AVIATION INTEGRATED OPTICS AND LIGHTING UNIT” (“the '795application”). The '795 application is hereby incorporated by referencein its entirety into the present non-provisional patent application.

BACKGROUND

Pilots and passengers often capture in-flight images and videos viacameras operated within the aircraft. However, such images and video areoften obstructed by glare or moisture on the windows and provide limitedviews of the aircraft's surroundings. To capture images outside of theaircraft, current solutions may involve mounting a camera to exteriorportions of an aircraft. However, mounts used to hold the cameras mustbe certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Additionally,current solutions use wireless cameras, which rely on batteries thatoften die prematurely.

This background discussion is intended to provide information related tothe present invention which is not necessarily prior art.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present invention solves the above-described problems and otherproblems by providing an aviation integrated optics and lighting unitthat is FAA compliant, robust, and readily installable.

An aviation integrated optics and lighting unit according to anembodiment of the present invention comprises a housing, alight-emitting device, and an optical sensor. The light-emitting deviceis secured to the housing. The optical sensor is positioned in thehousing and is configured to capture optical data. The optical sensosenables an unobstructed view of the aircraft's surrounding and thehousing can be used to replace an existing beacon light or the like.

Another embodiment is a method of installing an aviation integratedoptics and lighting unit. The method comprises removing a lighting unitfrom an exterior surface of an aircraft; and providing the aviationintegrated optics and lighting unit. The aviation integrated optics andlighting unit comprises a housing, a light-emitting device, a powerport, an optical sensor, and a controller. The housing includes a bottomside, a sidewall with a through hole, and a translucent portion. Thelight-emitting device is positioned in the translucent portion. Theoptical sensor is positioned in the housing and at least partiallyextends into the through hole. The optical sensor is configured tocapture optical data. The controller is in communication with thelight-emitting device and the optical sensor. The controller isconfigured to receive a signal representative of an instruction tocapture optical data; and receive a signal representative of capturedoptical data from the optical sensor. The method further comprisesconnecting the power port of the aviation integrated optics and lightingunit to a power cable of the aircraft; and attaching the bottom side ofthe housing of the aviation integrated optics and lighting unit to theexterior surface of the aircraft.

Advantages of these and other embodiments will become more apparent tothose skilled in the art from the following description of the exemplaryembodiments which have been shown and described by way of illustration.As will be realized, the present embodiments described herein may becapable of other and different embodiments, and their details arecapable of modification in various respects. Accordingly, the drawingsand description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not asrestrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The Figures described below depict various aspects of systems andmethods disclosed therein. It should be understood that each Figuredepicts an embodiment of a particular aspect of the disclosed systemsand methods, and that each of the Figures is intended to accord with apossible embodiment thereof. Further, wherever possible, the followingdescription refers to the reference numerals included in the followingFigures, in which features depicted in multiple Figures are designatedwith consistent reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an aviation integrated optics andlighting unit constructed according to an embodiment of the inventioninstalled on an exemplary aircraft;

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of an existing light being removedfrom the aircraft of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevated perspective view of the aviation integrated opticsand lighting unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the aviation integrated optics andlighting unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the aviation integrated optics andlighting unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view depicting select components of the aviationintegrated optics and lighting unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the aviation integrated optics andlighting unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an exemplary communications architectureimplementing the aviation integrated optics and lighting unit of FIG. 1and a gateway module;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of an exemplary communications architectureimplementing the aviation integrated optics and lighting unit of FIG. 1and a wireless access point;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an aviation integrated optics andlighting unit constructed according to another embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an aviation integrated optics andlighting unit constructed according to another embodiment of theinvention; and

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating at least a portion of the steps forinstalling an aviation integrated optics and lighting unit according toan embodiment of the present invention.

The Figures depict exemplary embodiments for purposes of illustrationonly. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the followingdiscussion that alternative embodiments of the systems and methodsillustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principlesof the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the invention references theaccompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which theinvention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describeaspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled inthe art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized andchanges can be made without departing from the scope of the presentinvention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to betaken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is definedonly by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents towhich such claims are entitled.

In this description, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or“embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to areincluded in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separatereferences to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” inthis description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and arealso not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. Forexample, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment mayalso be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included.Thus, the present technology can include a variety of combinationsand/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

Turning to FIG. 1, an aviation integrated optics and lighting unit 10constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention isillustrated implemented on an exemplary aircraft 12. The aviationintegrated optics and lighting unit 10 is configured to replace anexisting light 14, such as a beacon light system, a position lightsystem, an anti-collision light system, a landing light system, a logolight, an ice light, or the like, on an aircraft 12. The aircraft 12 maybe an airplane, jet plane, helicopter, or the like. The aircraft 12 mayinclude an exterior portion 16 having a light receptacle 18 to which theexisting lighting system 14 was secured, as depicted in FIG. 2. Thelight receptacle 18 may comprise one or more holes 20 for fastening thelighting system 14 to the aircraft 12 and/or for connecting the lightingsystem 14 to an existing power cable 22 of the aircraft 12. In someembodiments, the power type associated with the cable 22 may include a12-volt system, a 24-volt system, or a 14-to-28-volt nominal system. Insome embodiments, the nominal voltage range standard used may be 9-32volts.

Turning to FIGS. 3-5, the aviation integrated optics and lighting unit10 comprises a camera housing 24, a light housing 26, a light-emittingdevice 28, one or more optical units 30, a power port 32, a rechargeablepower source 34, and a controller 36. The camera housing 24 may comprisea bottom side 38, a sidewall 40, and a top side 42. The bottom side 38may be configured to be attached to the exterior portion 16 of theaircraft 12, such as the light receptacle 18. The bottom side 38 mayinclude a through hole through which the power cable 22 and/or the powerport 32 may extend for connecting the unit 10 to existing aircraft powersystems. The sidewall 40 extends generally upward from the bottom side38 and includes one or more camera through holes 46 for receiving aportion of the one or more optical units 30. The top side 42 may includea light through hole 48 through which the light-emitting device 28 mayat least partially extend. In some embodiments, the camera housing 24comprises a machined aluminum enclosure.

The light housing 26 may be translucent and house a portion of thelight-emitting device 28. The light housing 26 may be configured to besecured to the top side 42 of the camera housing 24. The light-emittingdevice 28 is configured to emit light, such as flashing lights or thelike. The light-emitting device 28 may comprise an LED light or thelike. The light-emitting device 28 may be powered by circuitry of theaircraft 12 or may comprise its own internal circuitry.

The optical units 30 are housed in the camera housing 24 and areconfigured to capture optical data. The optical units 30 may at leastpartially extend into the camera through holes 46 of the side wall 40 ofthe camera housing 24. The optical units 30 may comprise digitalcameras, multispectral imaging sensors, hyperspectral imaging sensor,such as sensors for detecting and/or capturing light on the visualspectrum, ultraviolet spectrum, near infrared light, mid-infrared light,far-infrared light, or thermal infrared light, or the like. In someembodiments, the optical units 30 comprise one or more single widefield-of-view lenses. In some embodiments, two or more of the opticalunits 30 may be positioned about the camera housing 24 so that they canprovide a 360-degree view about the unit 10. The optical units 30 maycomprise different types of optical sensors or imaging devices.

The power port 32 generally provides power from the cable 22 of theaircraft to components of the unit 10. The power port 32 may comprise aharness, connector, or the like, and may be configured to connect to thecable 22. The rechargeable power source 34 is connected to the powerport 32 and may provide power to components of the unit 10 when, forexample, the aircraft 12 is turned off so that no power is suppliedthrough the cable 22 of the aircraft 12. The rechargeable power source34 may comprise one or more capacitors, capacitor banks, batteries,battery banks, inductors, inductor banks, power/battery managementsystems, or the like. The rechargeable power source 34 may be housed inthe camera housing 24. In some embodiments, when the aircraft 12 ispowered, the rechargeable power source 34 may be configured to tricklecharge by pulling a limited amount of current from the power cable 22.

Turning to FIG. 6, the controller 36 may be in communication with thelight-emitting device 28 and the optical units 30 and may comprise aprocessing element 50, a memory element 52, and a communication element54. In some embodiments, the controller 36 and the optical units 30 areintegrated into a single device. The processing element 50 may includeelectronic hardware components such as processors. The processingelement 50 may include microprocessors (single-core and multi-core),microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmablegate arrays (FPGAs), analog and/or digital application-specificintegrated circuits (ASICs), or the like, or combinations thereof. Theprocessing element 50 may generally execute, process, or runinstructions, code, code segments, software, firmware, programs,applications, apps, processes, services, daemons, or the like. Theprocessing element 50 may also include hardware components such as aninertial measurement unit (IMU), or other motion detection devices,finite-state machines, sequential and combinational logic, and otherelectronic circuits that can perform the functions necessary for theoperation of the current invention. The processing element 50 may be incommunication with the other electronic components through serial orparallel links that include universal busses, address busses, databusses, control lines, and the like.

The memory element 52 may include electronic hardware data storagecomponents such as read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM, erasableprogrammable ROM, random-access memory (RAM) such as static RAM (SRAM)or dynamic RAM (DRAM), cache memory, hard disks, floppy disks, opticaldisks, flash memory, thumb drives, universal serial bus (USB) drives, orthe like, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the memoryelement 52 may be embedded in, or packaged in the same package as, theprocessing element 50. The memory element 52 may include, or mayconstitute, a “computer-readable medium.” The memory element 52 maystore the instructions, code, code segments, software, firmware,programs, applications, apps, services, daemons, or the like that areexecuted by the processing element 50. The memory element 52 may alsostore settings, data, documents, sound files, photographs, movies,images, databases, and the like.

The communication element 54 generally allows communication between theunit 10 and external devices 56, as in FIG. 7. The communication element54 may include signal or data transmitting and receiving circuits, suchas antennas, amplifiers, filters, mixers, oscillators, digital signalprocessors (DSPs), and the like. The communication element 54 mayestablish communication wirelessly by utilizing radio frequency (RF)signals and/or data that comply with communication standards such ascellular 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G, Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard such as Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.16 standardsuch as WiMAX, Bluetooth™, or combinations thereof. In addition, thecommunication element 54 may utilize communication standards such asANT, ANT+, Bluetooth™ low energy (BLE), the industrial, scientific, andmedical (ISM) band at 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), or the like. Alternatively,or in addition, the communication element 54 may establish communicationthrough connectors or couplers that receive metal conductor wires orcables, like Cat 6 or coax cable, which are compatible with networkingtechnologies such as ethernet. In certain embodiments, the communicationelement 54 may also couple with optical fiber cables. The communicationelement 54 may respectively be in communication with the processingelement 50 and/or the memory element 52.

The controller 36 is configured to receive optical data from the opticalunits 30. The controller 36 is also configured to receive, via thecommunications element 54, instructions from to the external device 56.The controller 36 may be configured to control operations of the opticalunits 30 via the processing element 50. The controller 36 may beconfigured to store the optical data and/or other data on the memoryelement 52 via the processing element 50. The controller 36 may also beconfigured to transmit the captured optical data to the external device56. In some embodiments, the controller 36 is configured to stitchoptical data comprising, for example, images taken from the opticalunits 30 to create one image or video. In some embodiments, thecontroller 36 is configured to detect intensity changes of the flashingon the light-emitting device 28 and compensate for light flashing increating an image or video.

In some embodiments, the controller 36 is configured to provide securitymeasures. For example, the controller 36 may be configured to detect,via the processing element 50, motion based on an IMU or other motiondetection devices or the optical data, such as optical datarepresentative of movement of the aircraft 12 and/or movement of objectsabout the aircraft 12. The controller 36 may be configured to wirelesslytransmit, via the communication element 54, a notification to theexternal device 56 if the aircraft 12 moves or if there is motiondetected around the aircraft 12. Additionally, the controller 36 may beconfigured to activate one of the optical units 30 comprising a cameraand capture optical data comprising a recording or live video of what isoccurring on or around the aircraft 12. The controller 36 may beconfigured to transmit signals representative of the recording or livevideo to the external device 56. In some embodiments, the controller 36may be configured to perform object recognition based on optical data.In some embodiments, the controller 36 may be configured to performimage-stacking techniques to enhance low light performance of theoptical units 30 comprising a camera and capture images in near totaldarkness.

In some embodiment, the controller 36 may be connected to a gatewaymodule's discrete I/O of the aircraft 12 and be configured to power arelay to activate the light-emitting device 28. Embodiments of thepresent invention can be used standalone or with the gateway module. Thegateway module described herein may comprise the gateway moduledisclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/941,443, entitled“AVIATION CONNECTIVITY GATEWAY MODULE SYSTEM FOR REMOTE DATA OFFLOAD”,which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Thecontroller 36 may also be configured to independently activate thelight-emitting device 28, in order to, for example, have an initial setof optical data representative of an initial picture at power-on.

In some embodiments, the external device 56 comprises a mobile device,laptop, computing device, an access point (such as a Wi-Fi connection,FBO access point, Stratus portable receiver used as a Wi-Fi router),and/or the like. Alternatively or additionally, the controller 36 may beconfigured to connect to a service platform of a gateway module. Byusing the gateway module as an access point, embodiments of the presentinvention enable use of the gateway module's cellular, Wi-Fi, or otherradio to transmit requests and/or messages via a cellular and/or cloudnetwork 60 remotely anywhere in the world through an application. Insome embodiments, the controller 36 may be configured to communicate,via the communication element 54, with only external devices 56 having aproprietary application loaded thereon and receiving instructionstherefrom. In some embodiments, the controller 36 may be configured toonly receive, via the communication element 54, instructions from anexternal device 56 connected to the same network (such as a Wi-Finetwork or other wireless/RF network), as depicted in FIG. 7.

In some embodiments, the controller 36 may be configured to communicate,via the communication element 54, through a gateway module 58 and/or theexternal device 56 having a user interface, as depicted in FIG. 8. Forexample, the gateway module 58 may relay communications between theexternal device 56 and the communication element 54 of the unit 10. Thecommunication element 54 may be configured to also communicate directlywith the external device 56 via wireless communication. The connectionto the gateway module 58 allows for wireless data upload through acommunication network 60, such as via a cellular network, the cloud,and/or a Wi-Fi network. The gateway module 58 allows for the unit 10 tobe awakened and to send information (video and/or images) globally viawireless communication, such as via the cellular network 60.

In some embodiments, a wireless access point 62, such as a wirelessnetwork at a hangar or airport, may relay communications between thecommunication element 54 of the unit 10 and the external device 56. Thisenables worldwide connection capability to the unit 10. This alsoenables the optical lighting unit 10 to be used as an access point withassociated wireless networks (such as Wi-Fi). In such embodiments, for auser to receive pictures or video remotely while not in the samevicinity as the wireless network, the system may require the user to beconnected to a general wireless network (such as Wi-Fi), wireless accesspoint, fixed base operator, or to the gateway module 58 in order toupload via wireless communication, such as cellular. The controller 36may be configured to require particular credentials to connect to thewireless access point 62.

An aviation integrated optics and lighting unit 10A constructed inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 10.The aviation integrated optics and lighting unit 10A may comprisesubstantially similar components as aviation integrated optics andlighting unit 10; thus, the components of aviation integrated optics andlighting unit 10A that correspond to similar components in aviationintegrated optics and lighting unit 10 have an ‘A’ appended to theirreference numerals.

The aviation integrated optics and lighting unit 10A includes all thefeatures of aviation integrated optics and lighting unit 10 except thatthe camera housing 24A is positioned on top of the light housing 26A.

An aviation integrated optics and lighting unit 10B constructed inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 11.The aviation integrated optics and lighting unit 10B may comprisesubstantially similar components as aviation integrated optics andlighting unit 10; thus, the components of aviation integrated optics andlighting unit 10B that correspond to similar components in aviationintegrated optics and lighting unit 10 have a ‘B’ appended to theirreference numerals.

The aviation integrated optics and lighting unit 10B includes all thefeatures of aviation integrated optics and lighting unit 10 except thatthe camera housing 24B and the light housing 26B are elongated in anaerodynamic shape.

FIG. 12 depicts a flowchart including a listing of steps of an exemplarymethod 100 for installing an aviation integrated optics and lightingunit according to an embodiment of the present invention. The steps maybe performed in the order shown in FIG. 12, or they may be performed ina different order. Furthermore, some steps may be performed concurrentlyas opposed to sequentially. In addition, some steps may be optional.

The method 100 is described below, for ease of reference, as beingexecuted by exemplary devices and components introduced with theembodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-13. However, a person having ordinaryskill will appreciate that responsibility for all or some of suchactions may be distributed differently among such devices or othercomputing devices without departing from the spirit of the presentinvention.

Referring to step 101, an existing lighting unit is removed from anexterior surface of an aircraft. The lighting unit may comprise a beaconlight system, a position light system, an anti-collision light system, alanding light system, a logo light, an ice light, or the like. Theaircraft may be an airplane, jet plane, helicopter, or the like. Theexterior surface may include a light receptacle to which the existinglighting system was secured. The light receptacle may comprise one ormore holes for fastening the lighting system to the aircraft and/or forconnecting the lighting system to an existing power cable and/orcommunication system of the aircraft. In some embodiments, the powertype associated with the cable may include a 12-volt system, a 24-voltsystem, or a 14-to-28-volt nominal system. In some embodiments, thenominal voltage range standard used may be 9-32 volts. This step mayinclude disconnecting the existing lighting unit from the cable.

Referring to step 102, an aviation integrated optics and lighting unitconstructed according to an embodiment of the present invention may beprovided. The unity may comprise a housing, a light-emitting device, apower port, an optical sensor, and a controller. The housing includes abottom side, a sidewall with a through hole, and a translucent portion.The light-emitting device is positioned in the translucent portion. Theoptical sensor is positioned in the housing and at least partiallyextends into the through hole. The optical sensor is configured tocapture optical data. The controller is in communication with thelight-emitting device and the optical sensor and is configured toreceive a signal representative of an instruction to capture opticaldata; and receive a signal representative of captured optical data fromthe optical sensor.

Referring to step 103, the power port of the aviation integrated opticsand lighting unit is connected to the power cable of the aircraft. Thisstep may comprise connecting two wires, splicing wires, installing aharness on the power cable and connecting it to a connector of the powerport, or the like. This step may also comprise connecting acommunication line, cable, or bus to the controller of the aviationintegrated optics and lighting unit.

Referring to step 104, the bottom side of the housing of the aviationintegrated optics and lighting unit is attached to the exterior surfaceof the aircraft. This make comprise using one or more fastenersextending through the bottom side and holes of the exterior portion ofthe aircraft to secure the bottom side of the housing to the aircraft.This step may also comprise applying sealants, adhesives, or the like tothe aviation integrated optics and lighting unit and/or the aircraft.

The method may include additional, less, or alternate steps and/ordevice(s), including those discussed elsewhere herein. For example, themethod may include wirelessly connecting a communication element of thecontroller of the aviation integrated optics and lighting unit to anexternal device.

Additional Considerations

In this description, references to “an embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or“embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to areincluded in at least an embodiment of the technology. Separatereferences to “an embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” in thisdescription do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are alsonot mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example,a feature, structure, act, etc. described in an embodiment may also beincluded in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus,the current technology can include a variety of combinations and/orintegrations of the embodiments described herein.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof routines, subroutines, applications, or instructions. These mayconstitute either software (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readablemedium or in a transmission signal) or hardware. In hardware, theroutines, etc., are tangible units capable of performing certainoperations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. Inexample embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone,client or server computer system) or one or more hardware modules of acomputer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may beconfigured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) ascomputer hardware that operates to perform certain operations asdescribed herein.

In various embodiments, computer hardware, such as a processing element,may be implemented as special purpose or as general purpose. Forexample, the processing element may comprise dedicated circuitry orlogic that is permanently configured, such as an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), or indefinitely configured, such as an FPGA,to perform certain operations. The processing element may also compriseprogrammable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that istemporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement the processingelement as special purpose, in dedicated and permanently configuredcircuitry, or as general purpose (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “processing element” or equivalents should beunderstood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that isphysically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), ortemporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manneror to perform certain operations described herein. Consideringembodiments in which the processing element is temporarily configured(e.g., programmed), each of the processing elements need not beconfigured or instantiated at any one instance in time. For example,where the processing element comprises a general-purpose processorconfigured using software, the general-purpose processor may beconfigured as respective different processing elements at differenttimes. Software may accordingly configure the processing element toconstitute a particular hardware configuration at one instance of timeand to constitute a different hardware configuration at a differentinstance of time.

Computer hardware components, such as transceiver elements, memoryelements, processing elements, and the like, may provide information to,and receive information from, other computer hardware components.Accordingly, the described computer hardware components may be regardedas being communicatively coupled. Where multiple of such computerhardware components exist contemporaneously, communications may beachieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses) that connect the computer hardware components. In embodimentsin which multiple computer hardware components are configured orinstantiated at different times, communications between such computerhardware components may be achieved, for example, through the storageand retrieval of information in memory structures to which the multiplecomputer hardware components have access. For example, one computerhardware component may perform an operation and store the output of thatoperation in a memory device to which it is communicatively coupled. Afurther computer hardware component may then, at a later time, accessthe memory device to retrieve and process the stored output. Computerhardware components may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and may operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processing elements thatare temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configuredto perform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processing elements may constitute processingelement-implemented modules that operate to perform one or moreoperations or functions. The modules referred to herein may, in someexample embodiments, comprise processing element-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods or routines described herein may be at leastpartially processing element-implemented. For example, at least some ofthe operations of a method may be performed by one or more processingelements or processing element-implemented hardware modules. Theperformance of certain of the operations may be distributed among theone or more processing elements, not only residing within a singlemachine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some exampleembodiments, the processing elements may be located in a single location(e.g., within a home environment, an office environment or as a serverfarm), while in other embodiments the processing elements may bedistributed across a number of locations.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using wordssuch as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,”“presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions orprocesses of a machine (e.g., a computer with a processing element andother computer hardware components) that manipulates or transforms datarepresented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical)quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or othermachine components that receive, store, transmit, or displayinformation.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is notnecessarily limited to only those elements but may include otherelements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary,“or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example,a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true(or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or notpresent) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (orpresent).

The patent claims at the end of this patent application are not intendedto be construed under 35 U. S.C. § 112(f) unless traditionalmeans-plus-function language is expressly recited, such as “means for”or “step for” language being explicitly recited in the claim(s).

Although the invention has been described with reference to theembodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is notedthat equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims.

Having thus described various embodiments of the invention, what isclaimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includesthe following:

1. An aviation integrated optics and lighting unit for securing to alight receptacle of an aircraft, the aviation integrated optics andlighting unit comprising: a housing; a light-emitting device secured tothe housing; and an optical sensor secured to the housing and configuredto capture optical data.
 2. The aviation integrated optics and lightingunit of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to transmita signal representative of the captured optical data.
 3. The aviationintegrated optics and lighting unit of claim 2, wherein the controlleris configured to transmit the signal representative of the capturedoptical data via wireless communication.
 4. The aviation integratedoptics and lighting unit of claim 2, wherein the controller isconfigured to detect motion outside of the aircraft based on at leastone of the captured optical data or a signal from an IMU.
 5. Theaviation integrated optics and lighting unit of claim 4, wherein thecontroller is configured to transmit a signal representative of anindication of detected motion.
 6. The aviation integrated optics andlighting unit of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to-receive a signal representative of an instruction to activate thelight-emitting device, and activate the light-emitting device.
 7. Theaviation integrated optics and lighting unit of claim 2, wherein thecontroller includes a memory element configured to store the capturedoptical data .
 8. The aviation integrated optics and lighting unit ofclaim 2, wherein the controller is configured to wirelessly communicatewith at least one of a mobile device, a gateway module, or a wirelessaccess point.
 9. The aviation integrated optics and lighting unit ofclaim 1, further comprising a power port configured to connect to anexisting power cable of the light receptacle of the aircraft.
 10. Theaviation integrated optics and lighting unit of claim 9, furthercomprising a power source connected to the power port and configured toreceive power therefrom.
 11. The aviation integrated optics and lightingunit of claim 1, wherein the optical sensor is a first optical sensor,further comprising a second optical sensor.
 12. The aviation integratedoptics and lighting unit of claim 1, wherein the optical sensorcomprises at least one of a multi spectral imaging sensor or ahyperspectral imaging sensor.
 13. The aviation integrated optics andlighting unit of claim 1, wherein the optical sensor comprises a camera.14. The aviation integrated optics and lighting unit of claim 1, whereinthe housing comprises a bottom side attachable to the light receptacleof the aircraft, a sidewall with a through hole for receiving at least aportion of the optical sensor, and a translucent portion positionedbetween the bottom side and the side wall.
 15. A method of installing anaviation integrated optics and lighting unit, the method comprising:removing a lighting unit from an exterior surface of an aircraft;providing the aviation integrated optics and lighting unit, wherein theaviation integrated optics and lighting unit comprises- a housingincluding- a bottom side, a sidewall with a through hole, and atranslucent portion; a light-emitting device positioned in thetranslucent portion; a power port; an optical sensor positioned in thehousing and at least partially extending into the through hole, theoptical sensor configured to capture optical data; and a controller incommunication with the light-emitting device and the optical sensor, thecontroller being configured to- receive a signal representative of aninstruction to capture optical data; and receive a signal representativeof captured optical data from the optical sensor; connecting the powerport of the aviation integrated optics and lighting unit to an existingpower cable of the aircraft; and attaching the bottom side of thehousing of the aviation integrated optics and lighting unit to theexterior surface of the aircraft.
 16. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising connecting an external device to the aviation integratedoptics and lighting unit so that the external device is in wirelesscommunication with the aviation integrated optics and lighting unit. 17.An aviation integrated optics and lighting unit for securing to anexterior portion of an aircraft and connecting to an existing powercable of the aircraft, the aviation integrated optics and lighting unitcomprising: a camera housing including- a top side with a light throughhole, a bottom side attachable to the exterior of the aircraft, and asidewall with a camera through hole; a light housing attached to the topside of the camera housing; a light-emitting device positioned in thelight housing and extending at least partially through the light throughhole; a camera positioned in the camera housing and at least partiallyextending into the camera through hole; a power port configured toconnect to the power cable of the aircraft; a controller incommunication with the light-emitting device and the camera, thecontroller being configured to- receive a wireless signal representativeof an instruction to activate the camera from an external device;activate the camera; receive a signal representative of a captured imagefrom the camera; and transmit a wireless signal representative of thecaptured image to the external device.
 18. The aviation integratedoptics and lighting unit of claim 17, further comprising a power sourceconnected to the power port and configured to receive power therefrom.19. The aviation integrated optics and lighting unit of claim 17,wherein the controller is configured to detect motion based on at leastone of the captured image or signals representative of IMU-detectedmotion, and transmit a wireless signal representative of an indicationof motion to the external device.
 20. The aviation integrated optics andlighting unit of claim 17, wherein the camera is a first camera, thecamera through hole is a first camera through hole, and the camerahousing includes a second camera through hole, further comprising asecond camera in communication with the controller.